Cedardale holds the honour of having had two homes of the oldest residents in the district taken over by the Oshawa Museum.

There seems to be little information available in connection with the history of Cedardale School. I have written to the archives in Toronto for the dates when the first schools were established. Their reply was they had none. In early years the district near the lake at the foot of “Skae’s Road” now Simcoe Street was called Port Oshawa. Judging from the fact that a few families were there at the time, it would be safe to say that the first school, a log one was established in the very early part of the last century. It was described as having “ran parallel to the hamlet of Oshawa and the lake shore.” The next school was a small brick one room school erected in 1833, on the same site. It faced Simcoe Street. The attendance was small.

When the Scythe Works was established where the Tannery is now, it brought more people to the district.

By the year 1867, the school attendance had increased and a two room red brick school was built on or near the same site. It was on the west side facing Simcoe Street. The School Section No. 2 was established in 1868.

In those early years, there was not a house built on Simcoe Street from Cedardale north to the McGrigor home on Royal Street, it was all bush. Mr. Panton (known as “Professor Panton”) taught in Cedardale School in the late 1860’s. A brother of Miss Jessie said that when he had to be absent for any reason, Miss Panton took charge of the school. She was only a young girl then.